Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Encyclopedia
Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in southeast Idaho
, seven miles (11 km) south of Montpelier
. Surrounded by mountains, it lies in Bear Lake Valley at an elevation ranging from 5925 feet (1,805.9 m) on the marsh
to 6800 feet (2,072.6 m) on the rocky slopes of Merkley Mountain. The refuge office is located in Montpelier.
The 19000 acres (76.9 km²) refuge is mainly made up of a bulrush
marsh, open water, and flooded meadows of sedge
s, rushes, and grass
es. Portions of the refuge include scattered grassland
s and brush-covered slopes.
Bear Lake Refuge encompasses what is locally referred to as Dingle Swamp or Dingle Marsh. Along with Bear Lake
proper, the marsh was once part of a larger prehistoric lake that filled the valley. As it drained and receded, Dingle Marsh was reduced from 25000 acres (101.2 km²) to less than 17,000 before it became part of the refuge.
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, seven miles (11 km) south of Montpelier
Montpelier, Idaho
Montpelier is a city in Bear Lake County, Idaho, United States. The population was 2,785 at the 2000 census. The city is the largest community in the Bear Lake Valley, a farming region north of Bear Lake in southeastern Idaho along the Utah border...
. Surrounded by mountains, it lies in Bear Lake Valley at an elevation ranging from 5925 feet (1,805.9 m) on the marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
to 6800 feet (2,072.6 m) on the rocky slopes of Merkley Mountain. The refuge office is located in Montpelier.
The 19000 acres (76.9 km²) refuge is mainly made up of a bulrush
Bulrush
-Wetland plants:* Bolboschoenus, a genus in the sedge family * Cyperus, a genus in the sedge family * Scirpus, a genus in the sedge family * Schoenoplectus, a genus in the sedge family...
marsh, open water, and flooded meadows of sedge
Cyperaceae
Cyperaceae are a family of monocotyledonous graminoid flowering plants known as sedges, which superficially resemble grasses or rushes. The family is large, with some 5,500 species described in about 109 genera. These species are widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group...
s, rushes, and grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
es. Portions of the refuge include scattered grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s and brush-covered slopes.
Bear Lake Refuge encompasses what is locally referred to as Dingle Swamp or Dingle Marsh. Along with Bear Lake
Bear Lake (Idaho-Utah)
Bear Lake is a natural freshwater lake on the Utah-Idaho border in the Western United States. It is the second largest natural freshwater lake in Utah and has been called the "Caribbean of the Rockies" for its unique turquoise-blue color, the result of suspended limestone deposits in the water...
proper, the marsh was once part of a larger prehistoric lake that filled the valley. As it drained and receded, Dingle Marsh was reduced from 25000 acres (101.2 km²) to less than 17,000 before it became part of the refuge.